The problem was that the one being hit wasn’t a game character but Jin Cheon-hee herself.
And the one doing the hitting wasn’t a game character either—it was Jin Cheon-hee herself.
If something broke, it wasn’t the game character’s life bar decreasing; it was Jin Cheon-hee’s bones breaking.
"Back in the day, I used to play that bullet-dodging game at the stationery store for 100 won," Jin Cheon-hee thought.
Back then, young Jin Cheon-hee had managed to defeat the final boss with just 100 won.
Of course, luck played a part, but it was still an impressive display of concentration.
Now, even if someone offered her 10,000 won, she wouldn’t be able to do it.
That kind of reflexes, focus, and judgment was only possible at that age.
But now, that same feeling had returned.
Jin Cheon-hee dodged thirteen consecutive punches from the wooden puppet.
Immersed in intense concentration, she suddenly had a thought she shouldn’t have: "How am I even dodging this?"
At that moment, the fourth punch ruthlessly struck her solar plexus.
"Ugh!" The merciless blow to her vital point caused her to bend over, and the four wooden puppets, as if they had been waiting, began to gang up on her. Thud thud thud! "Aaargh!"
To survive this, she had to use the internal energy of the Five Elements Divine Technique to heal her body while simultaneously employing the external technique of the Five Elements Diamond Body.
Getting beaten up was also part of the training! After all, external techniques were honed by taking hits, healing, and repeating the process.
A toughened body, a stronger physique—that was the essence of external technique training! Two birds with one stone!
"My human rights... gone."
In this era, there was no such thing as educational rights.
If you fell off a cliff and became crippled, it was your fault.
If your joints wore out in old age and you suffered, it was your fault.
Even if you lost fingers by sticking your hand into scorching sand, it was still your fault.
By those standards, this was a rather gentlemanly method of training.
"I know, I know... but does martial arts training really have to be like this?" It was a very fundamental question.
"If children receive this kind of training in their formative years, wouldn’t it negatively affect their emotional development?"
Jin Cheon-hee found herself pondering thoughts that could shake the very foundations of the martial world.
"Come to think of it, in martial arts novels, there are countless children who lose their parents due to grudges. Wouldn’t that also affect their emotional development...?" In a world where human life was as cheap as a fly’s, such reflections were pointless.
Perhaps it was because of the effects of the Mysterious Origin Elixir Technique.
The more she got beaten up, the more thoughts flooded her mind.
Just then, the sound of a bell rang out. Ding ding ding! At the same time, the wooden puppets stopped their assault.
"You’re really dedicated to external technique training, Young Master," someone said.
"Please don’t tease me," Jin Cheon-hee replied.
"I’m not teasing you. I’m genuinely impressed. You’re the only one who uses these wooden puppets so generously."
"That’s definitely teasing," Jin Cheon-hee thought, groaning as she got up.
"What’s the matter, Chief Yu?"
"A guest from the Namgung Family has arrived."
"The Namgung Family...?" Jin Cheon-hee paused for a moment before replying, "Ah, the kidney stone."
It was Namgung Woon.
"That’s good. Namgung Woon gets to live, and I get to rest a bit."
"Hahaha. Did it hurt a lot?"
"Not as much as the first time, probably because my external technique has improved," Jin Cheon-hee said, taking a deep breath.
"Oh? In that case, we’ll have to make some adjustments next time. If it doesn’t hurt, there’s no point in training your external technique."
"You little—!" Jin Cheon-hee glared at Chief Yu.
"Don’t you have work to do, Chief Yu?"
Well, she might as well use this as an excuse to make him suffer a bit.
Jin Cheon-hee returned to her room, washed up, and changed her clothes.
"Hmm. My height hasn’t increased since the Bone Reforging and Marrow Cleansing."
Perhaps it was because she had grown all at once during that process.
Since then, her height had barely changed.
Still, she was taller than most kids her age, so Jin Cheon-hee was satisfied.
"I’ll probably grow at a normal pace from now on."
The handsome face in the mirror stared back at her.
Compared to her previous life, she was ridiculously good-looking, and she couldn’t help but feel proud.
Dressed in her newly tailored martial attire, she looked like a painting of a dashing young noble straight out of a classic novel.
Jin Cheon-hee tied her hair neatly and opened the door.
Standing there was Wang Gak-yeon.
She had been about to knock but awkwardly lowered her hand when the door opened.
"What’s up?" Jin Cheon-hee asked.
Wang Gak-yeon scratched her head.
"I have something to talk about. That’s why I came."
Jin Cheon-hee suddenly noticed that Wang Gak-yeon’s martial attire was completely different from what she had seen before.
"Is it something others shouldn’t hear?"
Wang Gak-yeon shook her head at first but then paused and nodded.
"I’d prefer if my dad didn’t know."
With that, the two of them walked toward the bamboo forest.
"What’s going on with Gak-yeon?" Jin Cheon-hee wondered.
She wasn’t officially part of the medical faction.
Her father, Gung-gwi, was a special recruit in the martial faction, but Wang Gak-yeon herself wasn’t employed by the White Scale Medical Faction.
In practice, she was more like family.
Of course, neither Chief Yu nor the master would treat her as an outsider.
Everyone in the White Scale Medical Faction liked Wang Gak-yeon.
Seeing her smile amidst the grueling medical faction life naturally lifted their spirits.
It was like doting on a niece.
After walking for a while, deep into the bamboo forest, Wang Gak-yeon suddenly spoke up.
"I’m going to venture into the martial world. I want to try my hand at the martial world."
"What? So suddenly?"
"Suddenly? You snuck off to the martial world too, didn’t you?"
Jin Cheon-hee’s cheeks turned red.
"Well, yeah."
"Seeing you return with a reputation after saying you were going into seclusion made me think a lot. I want to try it too."
Jin Cheon-hee thought, I want to stop her. To Jin Cheon-hee, Wang Gak-yeon was still a child, and the martial world was a scary place.
Of course, she wasn’t underestimating Wang Gak-yeon’s skills.
After all, Jin Cheon-hee knew better than anyone how well she had fought against the demonic sect assassins.
What should I do? She won’t listen if I try to stop her, and I’m not in a position to stop her anyway.
Jin Cheon-hee quickly racked her brain and said, "What about money? How will you manage?"
"I have martial skills. I’ll figure something out to make ends meet."
"How about trying the Cloud Dragon Escort Agency? The open faction can arrange work for you too."
"Ah, can I do that?"
"Of course! Hmm, earning money might be better at the Cloud Dragon Escort Agency than the open faction. Back when I ventured into the martial world, I wrote a letter of recommendation for Three Kill Chaser and sent it to the Cloud Dragon Escort Agency. I heard he’s been paying off his debts quickly."
"......"
Wang Gak-yeon fell silent, lost in thought.
Jin Cheon-hee quickly continued, "Yes, the Cloud Dragon Escort Agency is a good choice. The agency head is a good person, and since it’s an escort agency, they’re quick to pick up on things. It’s a good place for Gak-yeon to safely learn the ways of the martial world."
Although Jin Cheon-hee’s body was around the same age as Wang Gak-yeon, her mind was that of a seasoned adult.
To Jin Cheon-hee, Wang Gak-yeon was still a child.
The thought of such a young girl venturing into the martial world weighed heavily on her heart.
What made it even heavier was that Wang Gak-yeon had inherited her father Gung-gwi’s stubbornness.
She wasn’t the type to listen if someone tried to stop her.
"But... the Cloud Dragon Escort Agency has done business with my dad multiple times. What if they catch me and drag me back...?"
"If you sign a formal contract as an escort, he won’t be able to say anything."
"Then... alright. I’ll do that."
Hearing Wang Gak-yeon’s agreement, Jin Cheon-hee let out a sigh of relief.
"Wait, I’ll write the letter quickly."
Jin Cheon-hee hurried back to her room, wrote a letter of recommendation for Wang Gak-yeon, and handed it to her.
"Archers are highly valued in escort agencies. The agency head will be pleased to have you."
Wang Gak-yeon nodded.
"Cheon-hee, thank you."
She suddenly hugged Jin Cheon-hee tightly.
Jin Cheon-hee patted her back and said, "Take care of yourself. If you get hurt, call me right away. As long as you’re part of the White Scale Medical Faction, you can reach me anytime."
"Okay. I’ll be careful. Thanks for worrying about me."
Wang Gak-yeon tightened her arms around Jin Cheon-hee, closed her eyes, and lost herself in thought. *I’ll come back stronger, Cheon-hee.
And I’ll protect you.*
After her journey into the martial world, Wang Gak-yeon had hit a wall while watching Jin Cheon-hee grow stronger day by day.
To overcome that wall, she needed a different approach.
Suddenly, Jin Cheon-hee had an idea and rushed back to her writing desk.
"I’ll write recommendation letters for Lady Gongsun Hyeon and Lady Gongsun Young too."
"The Gongsun Family? You have connections there too...? Ah, I remember now. I heard about it in passing."
Gongsun Young was the one who had saved Jin Cheon-hee when she first arrived in this world.
She had also helped her gain enlightenment to break through her limits.
The two sisters would never treat Wang Gak-yeon carelessly.
"The open faction already knows, so there’s no need for more."
"You really know a lot of people."
Wang Gak-yeon quickly tucked away the recommendation letters and prepared to leave.
"I can’t stay any longer. If I do, I’ll want to stay with you even more."
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and disappeared like the wind using her lightness skill.
Jin Cheon-hee waved at her retreating figure. So this is what it feels like to watch a child grow up. It was unfamiliar.
She had spent her life healing others but had never raised a child.
Lost in her complicated emotions, Jin Cheon-hee watched until Wang Gak-yeon was out of sight before suddenly speaking up.
"Are you alright?"
"Did you notice I was watching?" Gung-gwi descended from the rafters.
"I didn’t realize it at first, but while writing the letters, I felt a tingling sensation on the back of my head."
"I must have been watching for too long. Hahaha. My skills are still lacking."
Gung-gwi sighed.
"She takes after me too much. At her age, I also left home. She didn’t need to inherit that part..."
He scratched his head awkwardly and continued, "As a martial artist, I should support her decision. Besides, with the Cloud Dragon Escort Agency, I’ll be able to check on her from time to time. Did you arrange that too?"
Jin Cheon-hee simply smiled in response.
"I’m always indebted to you."
"Not at all. With Wang Gak-yeon’s skills, she wouldn’t need such help. I just meddled unnecessarily."
"Hahaha. Being too humble doesn’t suit you either."
He looked at Jin Cheon-hee with warm eyes.
At times, she seemed like a child, but at other times, she displayed the wisdom of someone who had lived through the ages.
She doesn’t show it, but sometimes her schemes are so sharp they could make your tongue curl.
Gung-gwi was grateful for Jin Cheon-hee.
"By the way, Young Master, be careful with the child from the Tang Family. Namgung Woon is one thing, but the Tang Family is different."
"I heard someone from the Tang Family came. Why do you say that?"
"People from the Tang Family are all a bit eccentric, probably because of their poison techniques. Especially the teenagers—they’re even harder to understand."
Isn’t it hard to understand teenagers in general? Jin Cheon-hee tilted her head in confusion.
Even in novels, the prominent figures from the Tang Family were all adults.
There was no depiction of a Tang Family teenager.
"Well, it’s probably nothing."
Jin Cheon-hee dismissed it as Gung-gwi’s overcaution.